During Visit to China, Penn Law Reaffirms Academic Partnerships

University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann visited China March 8-12, 2010, joined by Penn deans and faculty members from across the university to initiate and reaffirm Penn’s academic partnerships and agreements with universities in Beijing. … T.C. Chan co-director Ali Malkawi convened an academic panel, “Towards a Sustainable Future: Cross-Cultural Research and Technological Innovation,” joined by John Bassani of SEAS and Eric Orts of the Law School and Tsinghua colleagues. Dean of the Law School Michael Fitts gave the day’s keynote address: “Action on the Environment: The Role of Law in the U.S. Experience.” In addition to the morning events, Penn Law Professor Jacques deLisle and Associate Dean for International Programs Amy Gadsden joined Penn and Tsinghua colleagues in a panel on law, business and sustainability in the afternoon which was moderated by Dean Fitts. Continue

Among the many harsh truths that the failed Copenhagen summit in December drove home was that international consensus is not the easiest way to tackle a problem like climate change. From competing national interests to shortages of technological know-how to cross-border disagreements about who should pay for environmental degradation, the challenges of solving this problem at a global level are endless. But in the absence of an international climate change agreement, what can be done? Faculty members from the University of Pennsylvania in the U.S. and Tsinghua University of China debated myriad solutions at a symposium they co-hosted in early March at Tsinghua's campus in Beijing titled, "Toward a Sustainable Future: Cross-Cultural Research and Technological Innovation." While hailing from different areas of expertise, they all agreed that the onus is on the world's two largest carbon emission producers -- China and the U.S. -- to set an example for other countries to follow. That will be easier said than done. Continue

A successful strategy for improving the environment will require a global strategy, a deeply interdisciplinary analysis, and a long term time horizon. As environmentalist John Muir said long ago, “when we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it is hitched to everything else in the Universe.” Success will thus depend far more than before on the fundamental quality of our science, on our policy analysis, and on our regulatory strategy. For in the end, we will need to illuminate on a global level the dangers and solutions in a way which educates and galvanizes an even more divided public and regulatory system. Continue